Churrasco italiano — Chilean steak sandwich with avocado, tomato and mayonnaise

1 ✓

Slice the beef thinly

The easiest option is to buy beef already sliced for churrasco or ask the butcher to slice it that way. If you slice it yourself, add 20 minutes to the recipe time: leave the piece in the freezer for that long, because firm meat slices thinner and more evenly. Use a very sharp knife and cut across the grain into 4-5 mm slices: with the fibres cut short, the meat feels tender even though it spends only a couple of minutes on the griddle. Flatten any thicker slices between two sheets of plastic with the base of a pan, without tearing them, so they all cook at the same pace. Allow 150 g per sandwich, in two or three slices that cover the roll.

2 ✓

Slice the tomatoes and salt them

Cut the tomatoes into slices about 5 mm thick and discard the ends. Peeling is optional: if you prefer them skinless, score a cross in the base, dip them in boiling water for 15-20 seconds and move them to cold water; the skin slips off. Spread the slices on kitchen paper, salt them lightly and leave them there while you carry on: the salt draws out some of their juice, which ends up on the paper instead of in the bread. Ripe but firm tomatoes slice cleanly and do not fall apart when you bite.

3 ✓

Mash the avocado with salt

Prepare the avocado just before cooking the beef, so it has no time to darken. Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mash it in a bowl with a fork and a pinch of salt until creamy but still a little chunky, so it spreads in a thick layer. If you are using lemon, add it now: its acidity slows the browning caused by air. Adjust the salt, because under-seasoned avocado tastes flat next to the beef, and press clingfilm onto the surface until you assemble.

4 ✓

Sear the churrasco on the griddle

Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan over high heat for about 3 minutes, until a drop of water beads up and skates across the surface before evaporating, and brush it with a little of the oil. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper, because a wet surface will not brown, and season it with salt and pepper just before it hits the griddle. Cook it in batches without overlapping the slices: if they are crowded, they release their juices and stew in them. Give them 1-2 minutes per side, until well browned outside and just pink inside; at this thickness, one minute too many leaves them dry and tough. Move them to a warm plate, cover with foil and carry on with the rest, adding oil if the griddle looks dry. Do not wash the griddle.

5 ✓

Toast the bread

Split the rolls in half horizontally; open a marraqueta along its side. Lower the heat to medium and set the bread cut side down on the same griddle for 1-2 minutes, until golden and crisp. That way it picks up the flavour of the juices the beef left behind, and the toasted face stands up to the moisture of the avocado and tomato without going soft. If you have a second pan, toast the bread in it while the last batch of beef browns, so everything reaches the assembly hot.

6 ✓

Assemble the churrasco italiano and serve

Divide the hot beef among the bottom halves of the rolls. Spread a thick layer of mashed avocado over it, right to the edges: it settles on the warm beef and holds the tomato in place, so the slices do not slide out as you bite. Add the tomato slices, leaving behind the juice they released, and finish with the mayonnaise on top of the tomato or spread on the top half of the roll. That is the most common order for an italiano: beef, avocado, tomato and mayonnaise. Close, press lightly with your palm and serve at once, with napkins; if it sits, the bread turns soggy and the beef goes cold. This recipe uses 1½ tablespoons of mayonnaise per sandwich; many fuentes de soda use a good deal more.